Ticket vending machine



March 23, 1954 J. c. KOCH 2,673,133 TICKET VENDING MACHINE Filed Dec.17, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.1

INVENTOR ATTORNEYS March 23, 1954 c KQCH 2,673,133

TICKET VENDING MACHINE Filed Dec. 1'7, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Fig.4 b

INVENTOR John C. Koch BWM "60m ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 23 1954 TICKETVENDING MACHINE John G. Koch, San Jose, Calif.,

Vending Machine 00.,

notation of California Application December 17, 1951,

1 Claim. (01. 312-55) The present invention is directed to, and it is amajor object to provide, a novel machine for relatively stiffrectangular cards.

While the instant invention is especially designed for use to delivercards, as tickets, at an automobile parking lot of self-service type,the machine obviously is capable of many diiferent uses.

Another important object of the invention is to provide slide unit beingfreely placement of a coin therein.

for ease and economy of manufacture.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a practical andreliable ticket vending machine, and one which will be exceedinglyeffective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects are accomplished by means of such structure and relativearrangement of parts as will fully appear by a persual of the followingspecification and claim.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of the ticket dispensing mechanism, witha card as dispensed, and the parts of the mechanism in position to startthe next dispensing operation.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional elevation showing the slide asadvanced to deliver a coin into the mechanism, and preparatory toretraction of the slide and dispensing of the card.

Fig. 3 is a similar view, but shows the manner in which the slide islocked against full operation when it is attempted to be advancedwithout a com.

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the ticket vending machine.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional plan on line 5-5 of Fig. 3 showingmainly the coin receiving slide unit.

assignor to S & S

San Jose, Calif., a cor- Serial No. 262,069

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on thedrawings, the novel ticket vending machine comprises an upstandingrectangular housing I which includes a front wall 2; the lower portionof such front wall being in the form of a removable panel 3 whichconstitutes the front of a coin box 4 secured in the lower end of saidhousing I by a screw lock 5.

Some distance above the coin box 4, i. e. in the upper portion of thehousing I, the latter is fitted therein with an open-topped hopper 6which is rectangular in plan; such hopper being attached to the frontwall 2 and including a floor I. The front wall 2 above the removablelower panel 3 is likewise removably mounted by means which includes asecuring bolt 8 accessible only from within the housing; 1. e. throughthe open space existent when the coin box 4 is withdrawn.

The rectangular hopper 6 is adapted to contain thin, stiff cards 9 whichare, rectangular in plan and which serve as the tickets; there being afollower weight H) which rests atop such stack in the hopper 6.

The cards of the stack 9 are adapted to be dispense the lowermost card.of the stack 9 through the slot H and I 8 which hopper G.

Transversely spaced tension springs l9 connect between the dependingattachment plate The above described card dispensing assembly isactuated or caused to reciprocate by means of a coin controlled, manualoperating mechanism disposed below the hopper 6 and constructed asfollows:

A longitudinal, horizontally disposed guideway, indicated generally at20, and of substantial width, is mounted in connection with the frontwall 2 by "a front attachment plate 2|; the guideway projecting bothoutwardly and inwardly from said latter plate.

The guideway 20 includes a bottom 22 and laterally inwardly openinggrooves or channels 23 on opposite side edges.

A flat, coin slide 24 having anupturned finger tab 25 on its outer endengages in the channels 23 of the guideway 20 from the outer endthereof; the tab 25 thus being exposed exteriorly of the housing I formanipulation.

The slide 24 is of such length that it extends into the housing i asubstantial distance, run hing-inwardly of the front wall 2beneath afixed cover 25 on the guideway 29 and a removable cover 2'1; the latterbeing disposed rear-- most.

The slide 2 includes a flat rearward extension '28 which is generallyU-shape in plan and -ini tially separate for ease of manufacture; suchextension including forwardly projecting side arms 29 which extend underthe removable cover 21 and couple to the rear portion of the slide 24 byinturned finger and notch connections 31].

With this arrangement the rearward extension 28 providesla widelongitudinal slot 31 open for a substantial distance rearwardly of theslide 24.

The side arms 29 of the rearward extension 28 are supported from belowon horizontal flanges 32 carried by side plates 33 which depend from thehopper 6.

The slide 24 "is formed with a coin receiving opening 34 which isaccessible exteriorly of the front wall 2 when said slide is 1n :itsstarting or retracted position. with a coin 35 in the opening 34, suchslide travels to a point at which the coin opening 34 registers with acoin-drop opening 36 in the bottom 2t. of the guideway 25); the cointhen dropping through openingilii into the coin box l.

The numeral 31 indicates a coin deflector disposed in a position todeflect the coins into the forward partof said coin box.

As the slide 24 is advanced to the coin discharge or release position,as above, the rear end of the slide extension 28 engages the dependingattachment plate l and pushes it rearwardly .a distance to impart to thepusher plate H- a full retracting stroke; i. e., sufficient to clearsaid pusher plate it from the stack 9.

Thereafter, as the slide 24 is retracted to its starting position, thetension springs i9 tend to advance attachment plate It and the pusherplate M to impart a forwarder advancing stroke to the latter, whereby todischarge a card, as at 12, from the machine. As the springs 19 may nothaveisufiicient load in themselves to accomplish the card dischargingstroke of the pusher plate It, a rigid depending leg 38 is adjustablysecured on the guide rod H5 by a set screw 39, and depends through theslot 3!. With manual retraction of the slide 24, and before it reachesthe limit of such motion, the leg 38, which is square in sectional plan,is matchingly engaged in "a notch 40 in the rearmost portion of therearwardextension 28,,and isadvanced with the in self-service parkinglots.

described.

4 necessary to complete a full M, with resultant slide to an extentadvance of the pusher plate discharge of a card.

The outer limit of retracting motion of the slide 24 is obtained by theleg 38 abutting the rear end of the guideway 22, as in Fig. 1.

In order to prevent dispensing of a card by actuation of 'the'slide 24'when no coin is placed in the coin receiving opening 34, the followingautomatic blocking mechanism is employed:

A longitudinal locking arm 4! is disposed above the guideway 20 inwardlyof the front wal1 2, and such locking arm 4| is pivoted at its rear*end, as at 42, to an upstanding ear 43 on the cover 21. The locking armAl is urged downwardly by a compression spring 44 between the ear I8 andthe upper edge of said arm intermediate its ends.

At the front the locking arm M is formed with an integral downwardlyprojecting dog 45 tapered, as shown, to form an inclined '.cam 46 on itsrear-edge.

Intermediate its'ends the locking armfll i lalso formed with arectangular, downwardly project ing dog H. The lower end of the dog 45rides atop the slide 25 in alinement with the coin receiving opening 34,andifrno coin is insuc'h opening as the slide is advanced, said dog 45falls through opening 8 4 and a then registering openingit in the bottom22 of the 'guideway .20. See Fig. 3.

At the same time, the dog 41 lowers to a position which blocks furtheradvancingmotion of the slide 24; i. e. blocks the slide againstthemotion which would otherwise cause retraction of the attachment platei5 and pusher plate 14.

When the slide 2% is subsequently pulled forwarder retracted, theinclined :cam edge 46-by reason of its engagement with the adjacentportion of the slide-causes the locking arm 41 to swing upwardly to itsnormal inoperative position; it being recognized that when the :slide isadvanced with a coin 35 in the coin receiving opening 3 3, such coinprevents the dog "45 :from falling through said opening 34 and "the.opening 48, holding, the dog 31 inan'inoperative position clear of saidslide. The opening Missmaller than the opening 3t so that the .coin35'may pass over said opening 48 without dropping through the latter.

The dogs land 41 work downwardly :of :course through slots Miami '59 inthe covers 26 and 21, respectively.

The structureof the card dispensing assembly, and the coin controlled,manualoperating mechanism-while "being effective inoperation-nevertheless is relatively simple in structure, .and designedfor convenience of manufacture and installation.

The described vending machine provides :a practical, positive,smooth-acting mechanism .for dispensing cards. The machine is(especially designed -for dispensing cards used as tickets; oneadaptation being the dispensing 'of tickets for use The patron, bydepositing a coin andmanipulating the machine, obtains a ticket which hethen places in the drivers compartment at a point where it can readilybe seen and then locks the automobile. An attendant who visits the lotat infrequent times need only check the automobiles there parked inorder to be sure that each patron has purchased and used a ticket in themanner From the "foregoing description it will be readily seen thatthere has been produced such a device as substantially fulfills theobjects of the invention as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferredconstruction of the device, still in practice such deviations therefrommay be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of theinvention, as defined by the appended claim.

Having thus described the invention the following is claimed as new anduseful, and upon which Letters Patent are designed.

In a card dispensing apparatus having a front wall and a pusher platewhose forward movement dispenses a card from the apparatus, an elementdepending from and rigid with the pusher plate, a slide plate parallelto and below the pusher plate projecting through the front wall foractuation from outside the same, means mounting the slide plate on theapparatus in position to engage said element and retract the pusherplate to a card-clearing position, spring means connected to the pusherplate to advance the same and at the same time cause the slide plate tobe moved forwardly, a horizontal guide rod fixed with the pusher plate,and a leg depending from and adj ustably mounted on the rod andprojecting through a longitudinaI slot in the slide plate; the slotbeing arranged so as to cause the pusher plate to be positively pulledforwardly to its limit of movement upon similar movement of the slideplate while providing for a predetermined extent of rearward movement ofthe slide plate from said forward limit of movement before the slideplate engages the depending element.

JOHN C. KOCH. References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATESPATENTS Number Name Date 484,502 Lee Oct. 18, 1892 498,832 Williams June6, 1893 640,963 Sibley Jan. 9, 1900 1,075,527 Whitmore Oct. 14, 19131,080,754 Foster Dec. 9, 1913 1,592,285 Meyer July 13, 1926 1,720,505Williamson July 9, 1929 1,746,279 Purdum Feb. 11, 1930 2,008,357 KoehlerJuly 16, 1935 2,380,533 Lebrecht July 31, 1945 2,400,104 Compton et a1May 14, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 33,234 Switzerland July24, 1912

